A. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to vehicle door assemblies and related methods. Some embodiments include selectable-mode door assemblies where a user can selected between a plurality of door operating modes.
B. Description of the Related Art
Swing-mode door assemblies are known in the art. Some prior door assemblies consist of door assemblies that are adapted to open and close in a swinging mode. For example, conventional car doors are often operated in swing mode. Alternatively, slide-mode door assemblies are also known in the art. For example, side doors of vans and minivans are often constructed to operate in a sliding mode, whereby the door opens and closes by sliding on one or more tracks disposed in a doorframe. However, there is a gap in the art inasmuch as the art does not include door assemblies that can be operated selectively in either a sliding mode or a swinging mode.
The present invention provides door assemblies that are capable of operating in a plurality of modes, including a sliding mode and a swinging mode, according to user selection. The present invention also provides methods related to selectable-mode door assemblies.